Education

There are no formal education entry requirements for this course.

Minimum age

You will need to be at least 16 years old. If you are under 18 your enrolment form will need to be signed by a parent or guardian.

English

This course involves reading and undertaking a range of written assessments, as well as engaging in online forums and discussions. Furthermore, the delivery mode relies on the extensive use of written communication. As such, entry to the course requires the successful completion of English to Year 10 level.

If you haven't successfully completed English at Year 10 level, you can demonstrate equivalency through one of the following:

• Successful completion of a Nationally Recognised Training qualification at Certificate II level or higher; or
• 2 years relevant industry experience in a role that requires the use of written documentation and communication

Open Colleges recognises that not all people are able to read, write and perform calculations to the same standard. See the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Considerations section for more information on tools, resources and support services provided to you by Open Colleges.

Computing

Minimum specifications for your computer are:

• Microsoft Office 2013 or equivalent
• Broadband internet connection
• 4GB of RAM
• 2 Ghz or faster processer (Intel i3 or i5 processor recommended)
• CD-ROM or DVD drive
• PDF Reader (Adobe Acrobat Reader recommended)
• Printer and associated software
• Scanner and associated software  
• Video and audio recording hardware and supportive software. 
• File compression software.

Windows users:

• Microsoft Windows 8 or higher recommended (Windows 10 recommended)
• 2 Ghz or faster processer (Intel i3 or i5 processor recommended)
• Adobe Flash Player 11 or higher

Mac OS users:

• Mac OSX v10.10 (Yosemite) or higher
• 2 Ghz or faster processer (Intel i3 or i5 processor recommended)

You will also need access to Macromedia Flash player and access to software to view online videos and images, such as Adobe Reader, Windows Media Player, Windows Photo Viewer, which are available as a download from the internet.

Equipment

You will need to have access to:

• A sewing machine and provide your own sewing materials for this course
• A digital video recording device and/or a digital camera and associated software to save and upload video and image files to OpenSpace. Many mobile phones and smart phones include this technology.

Some assessments include a component for students to record a video. The requirements for these videos vary, depending on the assessment. If you are unable to conduct these in the workplace, if this is a requirement of the assessment, you have the option of engaging with friends, family and other students to record this via other means, such as Skype.

Skills

To successfully complete this course, you will require basic computing skills. This includes:

• Creating, saving and editing Microsoft Office documents.
• Accessing and searching the internet.
• Downloading and saving documents from websites.
• Uploading documents through websites.
• Participating in online discussions.
• Compressing image files.
• Connecting digital cameras and downloading and storing images.

Language, Literacy and Numeracy

Our free online assessment tool can help give you an idea of the language, literacy and numeracy skills needed to study a VET course. This tool can also help you determine your learning level and help you plan your future studies. You can access the Language, Literacy and Numeracy tool here.